


The Christmas Attic

by snarkysira



Category: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Genre: Christmas, Holiday Season, I'll stop writing these when I run out of albums, it's that time of year again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-17 03:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16967073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkysira/pseuds/snarkysira
Summary: A brother and sister who have been on the run for quite some time now find something that just may convince them to return home.





	1. The Ghosts of Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Christmas Attic](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/439812) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. 



In this room where shadows live, and ghosts that failed have once more learned that time forgives. Welcome back, friends. Please, hear this year's tale, of children that long ago left home. Why you may ask? Well, it seems that not even they can recall. 

But now this night will take brother and sister in, and here our story does begin.


	2. Boughs of Holly

The wind whistled outside as a blizzard was finally beginning to awake from its slumber. Trapped in this weather, was a duo of siblings, brother, and sister. This was not their first encounter with harsh weather, but, as this night would have it, it would be their last. 

The young girl's eyes brightened when she saw an abandoned home. Excited, she started tugging on her brother's sleeve. "Adrien, this way! It looks warm in there!" She beamed, pulling harder. 

The boy let out a resigned sigh, "I'm just happy you found a spot for us to sleep tonight." He spoke, following his sister and ducking into the house. 

What looked like a normal house on the outside, was actually a front for an abandoned theater. The children stared in wonder at their new surroundings, almost tempted to do a double take at the exterior. However, another gust of wind encouraged them to stay indoors. 

As their eyes adjusted, the siblings began to notice that this theater was decorated for the holidays. While the youngest beamed in excitement and ran off to gawk at a garland made of holly and mistletoe. "Anna," the boy whispered, sneaking over to his sister, "I don't think we should stay here, someone's probably here. We might get in trouble." 

"But it's so dusty!" Anna laughed, blowing the dust off of a railing to prove her point. "Besides, there's comfy chairs that we can sleep in, too!" 

Adrien rolled his eyes, walking over and inspecting the chairs. They were, much like the rest of the building, rather dusty, only proving his sister's point more. He groaned and let himself fall into the plush cushions, a small smile spreading on his face when they were comfier than he had expected. "Alright, Anna, we should be going to bed now. It's way past your bedtime." Truthfully, he had no idea what time it was. But given how dark it was, and how empty the streets were, he could only imagine that it was really late. 

"M'kay!" Anna responded, walking over and crawling into the chair next to her brother. "G'night." Her voice showed how tired she really was, as she was already drifting off to sleep.


	3. The World That They See

What these two didn't know, however, is that up on the balcony above the first floor was a man who considered himself the caretaker of this old, dusty theater. He had heard them enter his home, and he had been observing them silently.

When Anna had drifted off, he let himself be known by descending the staircase and showing himself to Adrien. A small, knowing smile on his face was enough to put Adrien at ease. However, it didn't satiate his curiosity. But before he could voice his questions, the caretaker simply stepped up onto the stage in front of them, quickly disappearing behind the curtains. 

Adrien didn't have a moment to wonder if he had gone insane, or if he too had drifted off into the land of dreams before the stage was lit up. People that he was sure weren't there before, were suddenly performing. His eyes went wide in awe as he watched the show unfolding before him. Anna soon woke up, a grin spreading on her face as she watched as well. 

When the song ended, Anna was wide awake, a wide smile plastered on her face as she bounced up and down in her seat. The caretaker peeked out of the curtain, gave them both one more smile, and pulled a lever down, causing a large star to descend from the ceiling. Before they knew it, the back of the stage was lit up with seemingly hundreds of lights, simulating the smaller stars in the sky. Adrien, who was still convinced that none of this was real, simply leaned back in his chair. It was as though his previous amazement with the first spectacle had vanished altogether. 

This puzzled the caretaker. It was as though he knowingly stifled any Christmas-related joy. Nonetheless, he pulled the lever to begin another dream, that maybe would bring back the happiness that he had seen.


	4. Midnight Christmas Eve

The performance went on and Anna's hyper excitement was replaced with quiet awe as she sat in her seat, staring at the stage. Her eyes reflected the lights on the stage, looking as though that the stars were in her own eyes. She was unable to wipe the grin off of her face. 

Adrien, however, was less than impressed. It was as though he was trying to keep up his stoic facade, even though he was just as in awe of this spectacle as his sister just moments before. His arms folded and a frown upon his face. This confused the caretaker further. If it wasn't the fact that the music had stopped, then just what exactly caused this child's Christmas spirit to be sucked away? 

After the song had ended, he decided to find out for himself. Coming down from behind the stage, he invited them back into a room with a projector with binoculars. "Now, I'm not sure it works anymore," he said, handing both Adrien and Anna a coin for themselves, "but, you two may be able to get it running." He smiled and stepped back, letting them decide who was going to look into it first. 

Anna hummed in makeshift thought before deciding. "I think you should go first!" She beamed at her brother. Adrien looked startled by this, but he quickly tried to hide his shock. 

"Alright." He reluctantly agreed, putting his coin into the slot and peered inside. 

Adrien was greeted with a vision, one of his own memories in fact. It was a cold night when he was younger, Anna hadn't been born yet and it was just him and his mom struggling to get by. They had been evicted from multiple apartments and on that Christmas Eve, they were evicted once more. His mother hadn't the money to make rent, and the landlord wasn't the kindest soul. He kicked them both to the curb with very little for a warning, causing them to have to settle for any shelter they could find. 

While his mother tried to make the best of the holiday season, it was because of this incident that Adrien had come to one conclusion. Christmas, he thought, wasn't a holiday for spending time with family. It was just a season where people were greedier than usual and expected more from people that couldn't give what they were asked. 

Adrien was quickly snapped out of the vision by the tolling of a bell. Twelve, he counted. He soon realized that meant it was midnight, signifying the beginning of the holiday he had come to dread so much. He tore himself away from the device as the images inside flickered to a stop. 

"You can have a turn now." He said to Anna, motioning with his hand to the machine. She gleefully accepted, skipping over and turning it on. 

"So," the caretaker spoke, breaking the silence between them, "what did you see?" 

"Why do you care?" Adrien snapped, glaring at the floor, "All it did was remind me why I hate this stupid holiday." 

The silence was deafening as the caretaker tried to figure out what to say next. The memory that Anna was watching was going to end soon, and he had to formulate a way to help them both get back home.


	5. The Two Kings and I

The caretaker soon took them back to the stage, letting them find their preferred seats once more before he wove another dream for them to lose themselves in. He began formulating a plan. Unnoticed, the caretaker left the theater through a backdoor in search of a solution for the children in his care. 

He wandered across the street to an old run down bar. For you see, the owner of this bar and the caretaker had been friends for many years. The bar was busy on this Christmas Eve, full of people that either had nowhere to go or no families to celebrate with. Tonight, these people were each other’s family, and the atmosphere of the bar only furthered that feeling. 

“Good evening,” the barkeep smiled at the caretaker, “can I pour you a drink?” 

“Not tonight, old friend.” the caretaker responded. “I need your help with something.” 

The barkeep raised an eyebrow at this, putting the washrag away and inviting his friend to sit down at the bar. ”Well then, tell me what’s troubling you.” He leaned against the bar, propping himself up with his elbows. 

The caretaker let out a sigh, shaking his head with a smile. “You know how it goes this time of year. Lost souls coming to my theater seeking refuge.” His voice was hushed, as to keep the other guests from hearing. As far as he was concerned, this conversation was between him and his friend, nothing more. 

“Do you have an idea of where they might’ve come from?” He asked. “I can help you get them home if you’ll help me clean the bar for a night.” 

The caretaker let out a hearty laugh before grinning at his friend, “No problem. I’ll make sure they get here when I’m done with them.” He agreed, getting up from the bar stool. 

“I’ll see you later then. Careful not to let them touch the levers in the back.” The barkeep shouted after his friend with a wink. And just like that, the caretaker was gone: seemingly vanished into midair.


	6. Christmas Canon

When the dream was over it became abundantly clear that Anna was growing tired of sitting still in her seat. The caretaker hadn’t come back yet, and with no watches or clocks, there was no way for the children to tell just how long the stage had been dark for. 

“Adri,” Anna whined, “I’m boooored!” 

Adrien would have mockingly plugged his ears to block out his sister’s whining, had he not just gotten an idea. “Well, why don’t we look around?” He suggested, a smile finally showing itself. “He’s not back yet and we’ll be back before he can catch us.” 

It was as though Adrien had told her that they were getting the world’s biggest feast and she was becoming a princess of a kingdom. Anna’s face lit up like the city lights as she nodded furiously, almost leaping out of her chair. 

And so the two set out on an adventure around the theater. However, it was underwhelming for both of them, most of the rooms were empty and the ones that weren’t were full of covered furniture and dusty bookshelves. That is until they came across the attic. Anna’s face lit up once more, and even Adrien was impressed at the collection. It was as though the caretaker had been collecting remnants of Christmases past for years on end. Snowglobes lined the shelves on the walls; there were framed pictures where the shelves formed a gap in the wall. Even more shocking, was the severe lack of dust. It was clear to them that the caretaker spent a lot of time taking care of this room and the things in it. 

Adrien stepped slowly into the room, completely at a loss for words. Instead, he went to one of the shelves to pick up a snow globe, which he soon realized had a crank at the bottom to wind up a music box inside. Hesitantly, he turned it and much to his surprise, it began playing canon. However, this version sounded different than the one he was used to. Not that he was complaining, it was still calming nonetheless. 

Anna, on the other hand, was captivated by a different snowglobe. Unlike the one Adrien found, it didn’t have a music box inside, but the globe itself showed a brother and sister singing Christmas carols. It reminded her of Adrien and herself, but when she went to show him, he was holding his own snowglobe and crying. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her head tilted sideways. 

He snapped out of his daze, wiping tears away from his eyes before he responded. “Nothing, I’m okay.” He said, though his choked voice contradicted his words. His sister figured that it wasn’t something to question, so she sat on the floor with her snowglobe, watching the snow fall in it. 

However, before either of them could say anything more, the duo heard footsteps entering the theater. Who else could it be but the caretaker? Quickly, they put the snowglobes back on the shelves, but it was too late to try and cover up what they had looked at.


	7. The Music Box

The caretaker looked at the children with a soft smile when he saw that they had found the attic. Without a word, he knelt down and picked up a music box off of a low table and gently placed it in Adrien’s hands, giving him a knowing nod to silence any questions. 

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, little one.” He spoke up as Anna gave the caretaker puppy-dog eyes. As he knelt down to her level, he held out his hand in which he was holding a necklace with a silver chain and a snowflake pendant. Anna almost screamed in joy as she took it from his hand and put it on. In fact, she was close to tears with how overjoyed she was. 

“Wait,” Adrien interrupted the moment, giving a confused look to the caretaker, “why are you giving us these things? Aren’t they important to you?” 

The caretaker just smiled and shook his head. “Yes, but giving people a good Christmas is even more important.” He answered before motioning for them to follow him. “Come with me, I may have found a way for you two to return home.” 

Adrien stared at the caretaker with a skeptical look. “Why? We left there forever ago.” He snapped defensively, clutching the music box to his chest. 

Anna, however, was excited at the possibility of going home and was confused as to why her brother reacted like that. “But...it’ll finally be warm. We’ll be safe from the snow.” She bargained, once again trying to pull the puppy-dog eyes but on her brother this time. 

The eyes never worked on him, but he had to admit, she did have a good point. He hated having to hide from the bad weather behind dumpsters and in alleys. He hadn’t told her, but he thought that they’d both be on the run their whole lives, so a way out of this situation should be a welcome blessing. 

“Fine,” he decided, trying not to sound too excited, “let’s go.” He reluctantly followed the caretaker and Anna out of the theater, clutching the music box close the whole time. As much as he refused to admit it out loud, he loved the music box even if he didn’t know what song it played yet. Though he had a feeling he would find out soon enough.


	8. Find Our Way Home

The caretaker led them to the bar he was just at and, with a smile, told them to wait outside before he entered. 

Adrien let himself slide down the wall outside, letting out what could be one of his longest sighs on record as he stared up at the cloudy sky. “Why are we letting him do this again?” He wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer. 

“Because we want to go home,” Anna answered simply as she sat down next to her brother, "aren’t you tired of having to sleep by trash?” 

Adrien laughed in response, his sister did have a point. Though he’d gotten used to the smell, it wasn’t as though he enjoyed it. In fact, he hated it more than he thought he hated Christmas. Though, it would almost be a lie to say that his opinion on the season had changed this night. 

\---

As he entered, the bartender looked up from the bar, a small smile on his face. “You brought them here pretty quick.” 

“They need to go home. I’m not sure how long they’ve been out in the elements, but it’s been far too long.” The caretaker responded curtly, a twinge of worry in his voice. “I at least want to get them home for Christmas.” 

The bartender nodded in response. “Wait right here, then.” He said before heading into a back room. A few moments later, he came out with a bag, a grin having replaced the small smile. “Let’s go make some children happy.” 

They made their way out of the bar when they noticed the two siblings whispering amongst themselves. Soon, the duo realized that the caretaker had come out and their conversation ground to a halt. 

“What’s that?” Anna asked, eyeing the bag. 

“This,” the bartender spoke, “is what’s going to get you two home. We just gotta call a cab first.” He said, lowering the bag onto Adrien’s lap. “I’ll be right back.” 

Adrien’s eyes widened when he was given the bag. He wasn’t entirely sure how to react to some stranger handing him a bag full of what he was assuming was money. “Why?” Was all he could ask. Turns out, it’s all he needed to. 

“That man is an old friend of mine,” the caretaker explained, “ever since a child went in there explaining that there was a lost girl a couple years ago, he’s been saving up in case a similar situation were to ever happen again.” 

The siblings were left speechless at that response. How could someone be that generous? Even Anna was stunned since her Christmases usually consisted of her and her brother trying to find shelter for the night and seeing if they could get gloves and coats from nearby homeless shelters. 

It wasn’t long before the bartender emerged again. “The cab’s on its way. You two kids just wait out here until it gets here.” He said, leaning against the doorway. “You gonna watch ‘em?” He asked the caretaker, who nodded in response.

“I’ve taken care of them this long, it would be rude if I left them now.” 

“Fair ‘nough. I’ll be inside if any of ya’ll need me!” And with that, the bartender returned to where he felt most at home: behind the bar. 

It only took a few minutes for the taxi to arrive. When it did, the caretaker helped the Anna and Adrien load into the vehicle, giving the bag to Anna this time around. “You two stay safe, now. If you’re ever in need, my theater is always open.” He said with a tip of his hat. Anna merely laughed in response and Adrien fidgeted with the music box.

“Thanks...for everything.” He mumbled, the tiniest of smiles on his face. “And uh,” he raised his voice just loud enough for the caretaker to hear, “Merry Christmas.” 

“And a Merry Christmas to you as well!” The caretaker responded joyfully before closing the door of the cab before it took off.


	9. Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24

Awkward is a word that could be used to describe the ride home. Christmas music could be heard quietly through the radio of the cab and the driver decided that listening to the music was more important than making conversation. Neither of the children minded any, though. In fact, now was the perfect time for them to be alone with their thoughts. A lot had happened that night, and now their life was changing completely - hopefully for the better. 

Adrien stared out the window at the snow blowing by. He was too busy trying to process everything to make note of how the large snowflakes looked like stars going warp speed from a certain sci-fi show. The boy was actually debating opening the music box right here in the taxi to see what song is played. But he didn’t. He figured it would be a better idea to open it when he got home. 

That was a concept that was nearly foreign to both of them now. Home. A place where they could return to every night and count on it to be safe instead of having to find a new shelter every night, hoping that some good samaritan wouldn’t try to get a hold of their parents. 

To be fair, neither of them could remember why they ran away in the first place. Their parents weren’t bad, their house wasn’t falling apart, all in all, they actually had a good life at home. But why didn’t matter anymore. They were actually going home now, and both Anna and Adrien were still trying to process that fact. 

It wasn’t long before they arrived home. The two thanked the driver before he sped off, leaving the children and their luggage in front of their home. 

“Well, this is it, Anna,” Adrien whispered, hardly able to contain his worry. “Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas!” Anna grinned up at her brother, taking his hand and walking him up to their front door.


End file.
